Ceylon Tea, a High Quality Beverage

Sri Lanka, Ceylon until 1972, is located in south of India in the Indian Ocean. It is the fourth largest tea producing country in the world. The sector is a major source of revenue and employs over a million people directly or indirectly.

However, it was the quintessential coffee cultivation on the island until a series of plagues decimated the plantations. Tea was introduced as a cash crop in the second half of the nineteenth century and its production increased exponentially in 1880. At the end of this almost all coffee plantations in Ceylon tea had become.

Humidity, low temperatures, winds and rains in the central highlands, create a climate that encourages the production of high quality tea.

Harvesting is done traditionally by hand, a large proportion of the workforce are young women of ethnic Tamil, often with very poor working conditions. With great skill usually they pluck two leaves and a bud to produce a high quality product. As in other places several harvests are performed during the first being the most valued.

The leaves collected are taken quickly to factories where excess moisture is removed in the sheet. Once dried, the tea leaves are rolled and placed in a rotating cylinder, this method serves as catalyst for the reaction of the enzymes with oxygen. Then it allowed fermenting at room temperature so that fermentation times vary according to heat and humidity. Finally, when the blade changes to a bright copper color is introduced into a cooking chamber to prevent more carbon chemical reactions.

This production method gives the drink a peculiar flavor, plus a deeper color and an intense citrus aroma. It is used alone and in blends as the famous Earl Grey the English Breakfast.

While the bulk of the production of black tea are green tea plantations is mainly producing in stocks of Assam variety. It is grown mainly in Idalgashinna and usually has a fuller body piercing, and the characteristic nutty flavor of Assam teas. It also produces some white tea in the area of ​​Nuwara Eliya, grown to more than 2000 meters resulting in a delicate infusion with hints of pine and honey.

The Tea Board of Sri Lanka checks every shipment of tea exports to ensure product quality. The logo (Lion) on the package ensures that the tea is produced in Sri Lanka. Teas are divided into three groups based on height and geography of the land on which it is grown.

The name "Ceylon tea" or "tea from Sri Lanka" is still regarded as a sign of quality and its prestige has worldwide.